Home-made souvlaki
By Matt Preston
October 19, 2004 Page Tools
Niki Louca prepares a homemade souvlaki for Matt Preston.
It is perhaps one of the more forward emails I've ever received. Niki Louca's claim was that my quest to find a decent souvlaki was doomed unless I looked inside a typical Melbourne Greek home - like her's.
So I point the Laser north - it still smells of onions and mutton fat - and head to a wide estate of fine, modern homes in Templestowe. Niki and her sister Lucy have agreed to share their secrets of souvlaki.
"Back in Cyprus we'd use pork because it was the cheapest cut, especially at Christmas when we killed our pig, but now we're just as likely to use lamb," Niki says.
"But the real secret to a great souvlaki is to use the best meat you can afford and really good bread."
Niki suggests using fillet because it is more forgiving of overcooking, especially when cut into large chunks. The spring lamb available now is ideal.
It's a view shared by Greek author and owner of London's Real Greek Souvlaki Bar, Theodore Kyriakou.
"I was bought up to believe that souvlaki was a seasonal dish made with pork between late autumn and Easter, then with lamb for the rest of the year," he says, recollecting his youth in Athens.
"There are two things worth noting if you want the perfect souvlaki: the meat should come from a young animal and it should be served with genuine flatbreads - not the pita pockets."
When it comes to bread, after years of experimentation, Niki has decided on the yellowish flat bread sold under the Gerry's Pittes label. It plumps up nicely when warmed and doesn't split like some of the thinner breads do. The Braybrook baker sells through Coles and to Niki's local Greek deli, Colossus.
The meat is marinated on wooden skewers for 12-24 hours, then cooked on the barbecue – first on high to brown the meat and then on medium. Niki uses the flat plate because there is less danger of the meat sticking.
The meat should be browned on the outside and quite springy to touch - not overcooked.
The breads get lightly buttered and then pan-fried to warm them through and give a slight colour.
Once the first bread is warmed, a second is added to the bottom of the pan under the first pitte and so on until all the pittes are warmed through.
For Niki's perfect souvlaki, the warmed bread is spread with about a dessertspoon of tzatziki, and a meat skewer, a good sprinkling of chopped Italian parsley and a teaspoon or so of chopped onion added in that order.
A final squeeze of lemon and the bread is rolled up and the skewer pulled out. If the skewer comes out easily, then the meat is done perfectly.
The Louca girls weren't exaggerating when they said they knew their souvlakis!
Niki's souvlaki
LAMB MARINADE
- 700g lamb fillet, cut into 4-5cm chunks
- wooden skewers
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- flaked salt
- juice from 11/2 lemons
PORK MARINADE
- 700g pork fillet, cut into 4-5cm chunks
- wooden skewers
- 2 tbsp crushed coriander seeds
- 1 cup red wine
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- flaked salt
METHOD
Place the meat onto the skewers and then into a bowl. Pour over the marinade ingredients and mix to coat the meat. Cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours. Then cook on the barbecue.
Also on the shopping list: Flatbread, 1 bunch of parsely, 2 onions, 2 lemons and Tzatziki
Tzatziki
This must be made the night before to let the flavours develop.
INGREDIENT
- 1/2 continental cucumber or
- 1 1/2 lebanese
- cucumbers, grated with skin on
- 1 1/2 cups Greek-style natural yoghurt, thick
- 2 big cloves garlic, finely diced
- 5 pinches dried mint
METHOD
Mix the grated cucumber with the other ingredients. Cover and keep in fridge for 12 hours to let the flavours develop. It will taste aggressively hot and garlicky, but this will mellow out against the parsley, lemon and meat.
NOTE: MATT PRESTON IS THE CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF THE MELBOURNE FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL. THEODORE KYRIAKOU APPEARED IN SEVERAL WINTER FESTIVAL